Death binds us
by RedPerception
Summary: So Jo has hit her limit she is sick of Henry's lack of self-preservation and his willingness to put his life before hers, what happens when she gets shot and the last conversation between her and Henry was a fight.
1. Chapter 1

**So this isn't an original idea but the stories been floating around in my head for at least a month now, if you read my other story, When secrets become truth, you know I've been on the fence about posting it for a couple days. So like with my other story this first chapter is just a short introduction. I'll try to post the second chapter as soon as I can today. Same as my other story, I own nothing, enjoy.**

"I swear to God Henry if you do that one more time I'm not working with you." Jo shouted at her partner as they walked back to the car. "I don't need you protecting me. I'm the detective you're the doctor. I'm trained to stare down bullets you are not. Plain and simple I don't need you risking your life for me."

"I apologize it was foolish of me. I saw the gun and I didn't want you to get hurt detective. It was nothing more than an instinct reaction." Henry tried.

"That's exactly the problem Henry you have no sense of self preservation, you jump in front of cars you tell people to shoot you, and now you're pushing me out of the way of bullets. Do you realize you could have been killed? You can't react on instinct." Jo continued to argue. "I am not worth your death."

"That shot didn't kill me, but if I hadn't reacted it would have killed you Jo and that is something I will not be responsible for." Henry followed Jo to her car.

"Yea well because of your heroics the suspect nearly got away. If Hanson hadn't been right around the corner…"

"But Detective Hanson was right around the corner and we did catch out suspect, and more importantly no one was lost in the process." Henry interrupted.

"Henry I don't want to see you die, I've already lost one man I really cared about I'm not ready for it to happen again, not this soon." Jo took a breath.

"And I'm not about to see you die when there's something I can do to stop it." Henry returned. Jo had just put her keys in the ignition when some kid came up next to her.

"Hey lady come on give me the car keys."

"You don't want to do this." Henry tried to reason with the kid.

"Shut up fancy pants, both of you get out of the car, come on, now!" The boy tried.

"You know you should have listened to him." Jo rolled her eyes and reached for her badge. "I'm a cop, you drop the gun and leave now we don't have a problem."

"Shit." The kid fired the gun dropped it and fled. Jo fell back against the car and was bleeding out. Henry was by her side in seconds.

"Stay with me Jo, come on." Henry tried to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry Henry." Jo let tears flow. "I wanted more time with you."

"We'll have it just stay with me."

"No Henry, I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**So two chapters for one story in a day, plus a chapter of my other story I'm feeling productive, or I would be if these two hadn't been written a couple nights ago. So here's what I'm doing I've got a really rough sketch of where this is going but I won't necessarily be updating it all the time like I do my other story, because I like the idea behind this story my other piece is my priority right now. I just wanted to get this on paper before it took up all the space in my head. So let me know what you think and I'll update as soon as I can. As usual I own nothing, enjoy.**

Henry was pacing he didn't know what else to do, he was a patient man he really was, but that didn't mean he liked waiting, especially not like this.

"I thought you might need these." Henry held out what he had been holding when Jo showed up.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" Jo frowned.

"I've gone skinny dipping here a time or two myself." Henry looked away while Jo wrapped herself in the blanket he had given her while sipping the hot coffee.

"No…why didn't I…" Jo stared at the man in front of her in a whole new light. "I should have connected the dots…I didn't even think…I thought I was the only one."

"As did I until a couple months back." Henry led her back to her car. "But I never thought you. You left the keys in the ignition I hope you don't mind that I…"

"No…I mean it's good…I've have spare clothes in the trunk." Jo assured, neither really knew what to saw to the other now. Floodgates had been opened but each had forgot how to share.

"It's been about forty years since I've driven but I promise no damage done." Henry turned his back while she changed. "If I may… when did you… I mean…"

"When did I die the first time?" Jo laughed, "Henry Morgan I don't think I've ever seen you stutter like that."

"I suppose it's because that's a question I've never asked before. It's something I've been asked on occasion but never asked." Henry confessed.

"Vietnam." Jo answered Henry's stuttered question, "How about we go for a walk? They don't need us at work for a while."

"I'd like that." Henry agreed. "So Vietnam?"

"I was thirty two the war had just started and I wanted to prove myself as something other than my dad's secretary. His business wasn't entirely legal and I didn't want to be there when it fell to pieces. I wanted college but we didn't have the money. So I was going to try and serve, but the only way for a women to get to Vietnam was as a nurse and I didn't have that sort of training. So I decided I'd become a reporter, I snuck my way up the ranks and got myself on a helicopter in Vietnam. Out of nowhere we started receiving fire, and being as headstrong as I was I was going to prove myself. I attempted to take over the bird while the soldiers jumped. I died in that crash woke up naked in a rice paddy." Jo explained, "Not my finest moment."

"All the soldiers survived?" Henry wondered.

"Every one of them." Jo nodded. "When I woke up I experienced a few more deaths before finding my way to Bangkok and getting a flight home. I stayed in D.C. for a bit where I met Sean, he found out my secret and then we got married. He died about a year ago. That's when I moved to New York told them my husband died and needed a change. It's true, he died of a heart attack on a treadmill, not as tragic in an eighty year old as it is in a thirty five year old like they all think though."

"Age doesn't make it any less tragic, Abigail was in her sixties when she left me. Nearly forty years together and she was gone." Henry sighed. "Age doesn't make death less tragic." Jo found herself reaching for Henry's hand for strength, neither one of them had told the truth in so long.

"I keep an old picture of us in my desk, I'd prefer a more recent one but them people would ask questions and make speculations." Jo added.

"The picture I have of Abigail at work is from just after World War two." Henry admitted.

"World War two?" Jo turned to face him. "Exactly how old are you Henry?"

"You were thirty two when you died?" Henry questioned and Jo nodded, "That makes you a little over ten years older than my son."

"Your son?" Jo raised her eye brows.

"Yes Abigail and I adopted him after World War two." Henry avoided Jo's question all together.

"Does that mean you died in World War two?" Jo tried again.

"I'm afraid not." Henry just shook his head.

"World War one?" Jo guessed.

"Older still." Henry kept her going.

"Civil War?"

"Closer."

"Revolutionary War?" Jo eyes just kept getting wider.

"To far back." Henry laughed, "I was born in London three years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. I was shot trying to save a slave on a ship over to America in 1814." Henry summarized.

"But that would make you over two hundred years old." Jo frowned.

"Two hundred and thirty-five as of September." Henry nodded, "And you thought you were old."

"Okay so maybe you can out history me." Jo smiled thinking back to his lecture on ABC village and how sure he was that he could go back further than she could. To be fair she thought her eighty odd years couldn't compete with who she thought to be a thirty-five year old English men. "So did you save the slave?"

"I doubt I saved that particular slave but I may have helped the 300 or so others that were on the ship." Henry answered.

"Compared to you I'm still just a kid aren't I?" Jo sighed, "I was hoping that you know I'd get to an good old age and that death would be it."

"That may be the case but if it is, then I haven't reached old age yet, and if my stalker is to be believed which I think he is we may have a couple thousand years to go." Henry confessed.

"Thousands?" Jo stopped in her tracks.

"I'm afraid so, Adam my stalker, not the man I killed in the shop, claims he died trying to protect Caesar and despite being a psychopath he has no reason to lie."

"Okay now I might need a drink, dying I've gotten used to but then you throw finding out your best friend is 235 years old and being stalked by a 2000 year psychopath on top of it. I am definitely in a drinking mood." Jo couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure Abe had some good aged Scotch back at the shop." Henry offered.

"I think I'll take you up on that Doctor Morgan." Jo smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

**So here is chapter three I have no idea when I'll post chapter four but it has been started, so as always I own nothing, enjoy.**

"There you are I was about to get worried." Abe looked up when he saw the shop doors chime. "Oh Jo, that's a pleasant surprise. He hasn't been boring you to much I hope."

"No, but I'm hoping for a couple stories with dinner." Jo returned.

"Jo was the one telling stories tonight, that's why I'm a little later than usual." Henry added.

"Well dinners in the oven it should only be a couple minutes longer, I'll poor some wine." Abe locked the shop and started for the stairs.

"Something stronger might be preferred Abraham it's been an interesting day." Henry stopped.

"I can do stronger no problem." Abe nodded, knowing he'd probably hear the whole story at dinner. He hoped. "So how was your day?" Abe served dinner and scotch.

"It was rather interesting, I'm afraid I dodged a bullet at work got Jo rather irritated with me." Henry stated casually.

"He means a literal bullet by the way." Jo went straight for the scotch.

"But here you are both alive and well." Abe baited them for information.

"It's funny how things work out like that." Jo shrugged.

"Please tell me you told her." Abe cut straight to the chase.

"Yes, yes I told her." Henry assured, but didn't exaggerate.

"Come on Pops you gotta give me something." Abe threw his hands up.

"Pops?" Jo put her silverware down.

"I told you I had a son." Henry reminded.

"I should have known." Jo laughed, "Of course it would have been Abe."

"You seem surprisingly calm detective." Abe was very confused.

"Jo and I have had a little bit of time to talk about it. I think my age was the most shocking, she always accused me of a lack of self preservation." Henry wasn't going to make Jo share if she didn't want to he knew how hard it was to tell a secret like that. He trusted Abe but Jo had only known Abe for a couple months.

"Well to be fair your age is the only thing we talked about regarding you." Jo pointed out. "I think it's your turn to share your story."

"I don't know if you're prepared to sit here all night detective." Henry smiled.

"I told you mine, you owe me." Jo argued.

"Fair enough." Henry sighed, "Where to begin?"

"Try the beginning." Abe rolled his eyes.

"You can skip the it was a humid night in early September when after hours of…" Jo agreed.

"I get it start with death then." Henry chuckled, "How well do you remember the case regarding the Empress of Africa?"

"The slave ship?" Jo frowned.

"My fathers slave ship." Henry confirmed. " I was on board as a doctor with an ulterior motive of spiting my father for his involvement in such an obvious disgrace of human life."

"He's very passionate about this." Abe cut in.

"I get it." Jo understood.

"I was going to give one of the slaves a key so that they could free themselves and rebel but before I could get him the key I was called to attend to a sick slave, the captain didn't want to ruin his 'stock' and wanted him thrown over board it was just a fever from malnutrition he didn't need to be killed and I argued with the captain. Who then had me shot and as they were throwing me over board the key slipped from my hand as I passed the slaves I had hoped to free."

"Isaacs ancestors." Jo remembered.

"Precisely." Henry nodded. "From there I woke up naked in the water, I drowned a few more times before a ship found me and brought me back to England. Where I spent far more time drinking than any man ever should have so I would have the courage to kill myself each night. I didn't know what was going on I didn't know how it was possible, which frankly I still don't know how any of it's possible. Eventually I made it back to my wife with the foolhardy thought that I had been saved for her." Henry stopped there he didn't know how much to tell Jo, she surely knew the risks of telling people about their condition but it hadn't appeared that she had been so jaded by past experience, he didn't want his past to affect her.

"I thought you said you married Abigail after world war two?" Jo wanted to know everything, here was a man just like her with so much more experience, there were things she could learn.

"He did, he married mom after we moved to New York, Nora was his first wife." Abe supplied for Henry, Abe saw his old man flinch at the name, but he associated it with the trauma she had inflicted on him.

"What happened with Nora, what aren't you telling me?" Jo wasn't blind to the flinching and panicking taking place.

"At first nothing, we lived happily for several months before she pressured me to tell her about my scar. So I did, by that time the next day I was admitted into Bedlam." Henry finished by finishing off his glass of scotch. Jo immediately regretted asking, she didn't know how to respond, what could she say to make that type of betrayal better.

Henry continued with his story and eventually Abe turned in for the night. As the story continued Henry and Jo moved from the kitchen to the living room and then from the living room to the bedroom.

Once in the bedroom Jo was quickly frustrated by the layers that Henry seemed set on wearing, Henry only chuckled and moved one hand to undue his own shirt while the other continued to remove what was left of Jo's clothes. Making Jo think that maybe Henry wasn't such the gentlemen he seemed to be, or maybe bra's were just that much easier than the corset from Henry's younger days.

Neither were the type to throw themselves at someone else, but neither had ever had this type of honest connection before. They had shared their secrets with the ones they loved, but never had they had this unquestioning understanding of what the other must have experienced. It was easy for them to commit to each other completely in that moment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright here is chapter four, I don't know when chapter five will be posted but it has been started. As usual I own nothing.**

Henry woke to found his hand resting on Jo's stomach and her arm sprawled across his heart. "Good morning." Jo gave a sleepy smile before realizing exactly where her hand was resting. She began tracing the scar over his chest. "It doesn't change over time, heal any more?"

"I'm afraid not." Henry found that his hand was resting on a large scar across her stomach. "For better or worse my physical appearance hasn't changed in two hundred years."

"I kinda figured." Jo sighed, letting Henry trace the scar on her stomach. "A piece of the helicopter impaled me there." Jo admitted, "It didn't go all the way through, and I bled out, but I was unconscious so it didn't really matter."

"I'm so sorry Jo." Henry whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" Jo couldn't help but laugh.

"Death by impalement is a terrible way to go." Henry sighed.

"I was unconscious, I don't really remember a lot of the pain." Jo answered, "I take it you've been impaled."

"The case that brought us together actually." Henry nodded.

"The subway?" Jo frowned.

"I'm afraid I left my watch behind, which led to you suspecting me of mass murder."

"You were on the first subway car. There were so many signs, I should have seen it the day we met." Jo let her head fall back on the pillow. "Or at least after you got caught naked in the river."

"It's not something you really look for when meeting new people. No matter how weird, or creepy they are." Henry returned.

"I apologized for that." Jo smirked.

"I know I'm sorry." Henry chuckled. "And I'd prefer we not go back to that first case, that was quite an ordeal"

"You did go over the side of the building didn't you?" Jo was really mad at herself for not putting the pieces together sooner. "And you said you'd experimented with Aconite."

"Yes on both accounts I'm afraid." Henry confessed.

"I get the feeling you're a little more used to dying than I am." Jo couldn't help but laugh.

"I assure you it's very rarely by choice." Henry couldn't help but smile lying there watching her laugh.

"Unless you're experimenting with dangerous poisons." Jo retorted.

"I was going through a very dark phase." Henry tried to brush it off, and Jo just shook her head.

"Henry Morgan you are impossible." She grinned.

"I'll agree with that." He returned the grin, "But then what does that make you my dear?"

"Alright well then we can be impossible together." Jo decided. "But not at work."

"Impossible together in private." Henry repeated, "I think I can handle that, for now."

"So this means you're going to stop jumping in front of bullets and cars and any other deadly thing that comes my way." Jo took on a serious tone.

"No promises." Was all Henry could say.

"But it's not going to cause me any harm, not in the long run anyway." Jo argued.

"That doesn't mean I like to see you hurt." Henry returned.

"Aren't you the charmer?" Jo rolled her eyes. "I've got to get home and change before work."

"Stay for breakfast we still have some time." Henry watched Jo crawl from the bed. "Abe is an excellent cook."

"He learn that from his dad?" Jo slid into her pants from where they had been dropped the night before.

"His mother was always the better cook, not saying that I'm useless in the kitchen of course." Henry pulled himself out of bed.

"One hundred and fifty years of practice must make you a pretty good cook." Jo returned. "Unfortunately my skills in the kitchen are somewhat lacking. I grew up in the TV dinner era with just me and my father."

"Well all you need is a good teacher." Henry pointed out.

"Are you offering Doctor Morgan?"

"Only if you're interested Detective Martinez." Henry smiled in return.

"I think I could stand learning a thing or two from you." Jo used her fingers as a brush before throwing it into a ponytail that would have to work until she could get home and shower. She hadn't even noticed until just now that her hair still smelled of river water. Which reminded Jo of something, "Henry throw some clothes in the trunk of my car, just in case."

"Yes ma'am." Henry chuckled.

"Hey no more indecent exposure charges." Jo scolded.

"Would you like to throw clothes into Abrahams car?" Henry offered, "Just in case."

"We'll see." Jo sighed, to do that she would have to tell Abe the truth and she knew he was trustworthy but she had just heard Henry's story about Nora and that was enough to make anyone nervous.


	5. Chapter 5

**So here you go it took me a little while to put this chapter together, but here it is. As usual I own nothing, enjoy.**

"Well looky who spent the night." Abe teased while serving up three plates. "The young lady teach you a few thing Pops."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I don't think I'm what one called young anymore." Jo smiled, "Well to Henry of course but certainly not to you Abraham."

"Excuse me." Abe frowned.

"Turns out you aren't the only Vietnam veteran in the house right now." Henry went straight for a cup of tea.

"I never actually served though, I don't think reporters count as veterans." Jo brought up. "Especially reporters who didn't actually set foot in the country before they were killed."

"No kidding." Abe set his silverware down.

"The helicopter I was being brought in on caught some gun fire and crashed." Jo explained.

"She managed to save everyone else on the helicopter." Henry bragged.

"Yea before waking up in a rice paddy." Jo rolled her eyes.

"So serving in Vietnam doesn't make you older than me." Abe argued.

"I've got at least ten years on you Abe." Jo stated.

"So a reporter in Nam huh?" Abe finally started eating again, and Jo just nodded, "I slept with a couple reporters on leave in Bangkok."

"I slept with a couple of soldiers in Bangkok." Jo returned.

"I was really hoping you weren't going to say that." Abe shook his head, "I have very few rules in my life but sleeping with the same woman as my old man is one of them."

"Relax Abe I had a few other things on my mind than sex at the time. I was just messing with you." Jo laughed. "I think your rule is still unbroken." There was silence for a couple minutes until Abe spoke up again.

"Does this mean I have to stop calling you kid?" Abe frowned, "Cause I mean I can it's not that hard of a habit to break considering I had to stop calling him dad in public when I was twenty."

"If you want to call me kid in public I'm not going to stop you." Jo laughed. "I won't stop you. However I do need to get home and shower before work, river water is not the most attractive smell."

"I hadn't even noticed." Henry assured.

"You've probably gone nose blind to the smell after so many deaths in New York." Jo teased, "You want a ride to work?"

"I would love one." Henry pushed his seat out and took both of their dishes to the sink. "Give me just one moment to clean up."

"Take all the time you need." Jo assured.

"I'll keep the lovely lady company." Abe added, waiting for his father to leave the room, "You're going to take care of him aren't you?"

"Excuse me." Jo frowned.

"Henry is…well Henry is Henry. He needs someone around otherwise he will lock himself off to the world. You weren't here when mom died, that destroyed him for nearly a decade. I want to know that you'll take care of him when I'm gone." Abe explained. "I'm not saying you have to be with him in a relationship sense, but he needs a friend."

"I lost my husband of nearly forty years I may not have all of Henry's life experience but I do know what he went through and I like to think I am his friend. Jo assured, "And what if I want to be with him in a relationship sense?" She smirked.

"Well then more power to ya because he is a handful." Abe smiled.

"I could say the same thing about you." Henry returned, "Are you ready to go."

"One quick stop at my house for a shower and a change of clothes and then work." Jo nodded. "See you later Abraham."

"You two old folks go out and have some fun, just don't break any hips." Abe called after them.

"What was it like?" Jo turned to Henry, "To raise Abe?"

"Abe was a model child," Henry chuckled, "To smart for his own good and full of energy. He hit a rebellious phase after he got back from Vietnam, that he may not have grown out of." This earned a laugh from Jo. "Did you and Sean ever?"

"No we thought about it for a period of time but after a number of failed attempts we decided we just weren't meant to have kids." Jo shrugged, "Did you and Abigail?" Jo parked the car and led the way to her home.

"No, we talked about it for a while but ultimately Abe was enough." Henry sighed.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable it should only take a couple minutes for me to clean up." Jo called over her shoulder. Henry wandered into the living room and took a seat on the couch. After a couple minutes he decided to take a better look at his surroundings. He had only ever been to Jo house once and never further than the doorstep. He moved from her movie collection to the bookshelf and that was where he was to be found when Jo came back down the stairs. "See anything you like."

"You have a very nice collection." Henry smiled. "You know detective I was thinking you lied to me. You told me you had never been outside of the country."

"And you told me you didn't have any children." Jo returned.

"Fair enough." Henry chuckled. "Though Abraham is adopted so in a manner of speaking he's not actually my child."

"That's crap and you know it." Jo rolled her eyes, "Come one we're going to be late for work."

"Lead the way." Henry nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

**So I'm terribly sorry that it's been so long, if you've been reading my other story you know that I've been pretty busy. So I will try to update again soonish this story will not be as long as the other one, but as usual O own nothing.**

"You two carpooling now?" Hanson was getting off the elevator when Jo and Henry went to get on.

"I was in the neighborhood this morning and thought I'd offer him a lift." Jo shrugged.

"Well turn around we got a body to look at." Hanson didn't comment any further on their carpooling. Even if he didn't necessarily believe that Jo just happened to be in the area. There had been tension building between the two for a while now.

"What do we have?" Jo turned on her heels to follow her partner letting Henry follow behind.

"Don't know a body surfaced on the banks of the river." Hanson started, causing Jo and Henry to exchange a glance without even realizing it. "Don't worry Doc it's in the Hudson your skinny dipping escapades are no more unsanitary than usual." Hanson joked.

"What a relief." Henry offered a smile.

"Wouldn't want you skinny dipping where the dead bodies were." Hanson smirked.

"I'm sure the river has seen weirder things." Henry responded looking out the window, earning a choked laugh from Jo.

"Did our victim drown?" Jo covered her laugh.

"That's up to the Doc to tell us." Hanson parked the car, before flashing his badge earning all three of them entrance to their crime scene.

"There is bruising on the back of the head, possibly a blunt object. I'll be able to tell you more when I get him on the table." Henry explained while continuing to look over the body.

"So he didn't drown." Hanson clarified.

"No he drowned." Henry stood up and removed his gloves. "However he may have been unconscious when he was thrown in the water. Again I'll be able to tell you more once I get him on the table."

"Do we have an ID?" Jo turned to her partner.

"Jared Grant." Hanson looked at the information handed to him by the officers on the scene. "He owns a small restaurant with his brother."

"We can run the name when we get back to the station." Jo nodded. "Anything else you can tell us Henry?"

"Afraid not, he's been in the water for approximately seven hours, I'd put his time a death around that same time. However this is guesswork I'll get a more accurate number for you in the lab." Henry removed his gloves.

"We'll go talk to the brother, you go do what you need to do." Jo decided.

"That works for me." Hanson agreed, "See you later Doc."

"Good luck detectives." Henry knew that he had been subconsciously gravitating towards Jo all morning and he knew he had promised her to keep any development any their relationship secret but it was going to be a bit harder than he expected.


End file.
